INDUSTRY - In today's economy, few commodities are as valued - or desperately needed - as jobs.

And Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped lay the groundwork for an estimated 18,000 new jobs Thursday when he signed Assembly Bill X3 81.

The measure, authored by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Compton, exempts activities associated with the development and operation of the proposed NFL stadium complex in Industry from the California Environmental Quality Act.

In essence, it fast-tracks the project by cutting through red tape to get shovels in the ground, people to work and an NFL team in Los Angeles County.

And when that happens, it'll be none too soon for Dale W. Chryst.

"The job situation is very poor in L.A. County," said Chryst, chairman of District 2, Local 11 for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. "We've got several hundred members out of work. Some have been out of work for three or four months."

Union members are clamoring for work amid a painfully slow economic recovery that Southland economists have termed "jobless."

Thursday's bill signing was held at the site of the proposed 75,000-seat stadium complex near the intersection of the 57 and 60 freeways.

Flanked by a line of union workers in hard hats, Schwarzenegger made it clear their role in making the stadium happen is vital.

"We want to thank all the hard hats and all the hardworking men and women that are behind us here, because the fact is, you know, one can have a great vision and one can put up the money for making this vision become a reality ... but it is really the workers that make this stadium become a reality," the governor said.

It's estimated that billionaire Ed Roski Jr.'s $800 million project would pump more than $760 million into the local economy every year - all without the use of taxpayer dollars.

"That's unique because in most cases when you're building an NFL stadium it has to be public money," said Jack Kyser, founding economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Corp. "This is a mold-breaker."

Kyser said the estimate of 18,000 jobs sounds accurate when construction workers, subcontractors, suppliers, maintenance people and others are figured into the mix.

The venue would likely accommodate additional events throughout the year, he added, which would provide an ongoing source of revenue and jobs.

"You could have soccer and then you could go for specialized track meets and motocross events," he said. "You could also do concerts if you had a really big attraction, and you could even use the parking lot for car shows. But they would be in very aggressive competition with both the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum."

Roski stressed that momentum for the project has been fueled by "the strongest coalition that we have ever been involved in."

That coalition includes area cities, government associations, elected officials, community organizations and leaders, chambers of commerce, sheriff deputies, firefighters, educators, economic development organizations and union members "who have supported this stadium from the start," he said.

"The governor often speaks of collaboration and the importance of finding common ground," Roski said. "That's what happened with this project and this bill."